Running Out of Options
by ScarletRose99
Summary: Oh it was the perfect plan. Using one of their own, the one they would least suspect as a Spy, to finally murder them all. Then Gray Mann could move onto Saxton Hale and anyone else who once worked with his brothers and finally the world would be rid of the Mann Co. brothers and TF industries. This plan however, was formulated because he was simply running out of options.
1. Proposition

"You know Scout...when I invented the Scoutbots, I designed them to be a lot more intelligent than you. They would not be caught in this situation you see." The gravely, husky voice of Gray Mann came down a long, long tunnel. Scout's eyes fought to regain their sight but he found that he was lost in total darkness, and his only functioning senses were the faint echo of what was once his keen sense of hearing, and the sickly, all too familiar scent of a strong antiseptic.

There was still a faint sting of where the tranquilizer dart was with its needle still deeply embedded into his skin at the crook of his neck, and its toxins still streaming through his blood.

He could recognize that the voice did indeed belong to Gray Mann because it resembled the voices of both Redmond and Blutarch.

But they were both dead.

Not only that but the voice spoke of creating the robots. Which was an even bigger giveaway than the voice resemblance.

Along his forearm he felt the faint trace of the tip of a cold, unforgiving blade being dragged lightly over his goose bump covered skin, followed by a series of malevolent chuckles.

* * *

"Has anyone seen Scout? I need to run an er...experiment vith his...er... metabolism." The sound of the BLU Medic's voice practically echoed around every concrete wall in the large shared base.

The RED and the BLU team had come to terms with sharing the building at Mann Works after the news of their boss's demises, and so far, there had been little to no injuries from scuffles even with the two once enemy teams armed to the teeth. The two Medics shared the same infirmary but stayed rather out of each other's ways, but occasionally they would chat about different medications or techniques that they had learned so they could help each other. But both were careful not to reveal too many secret, or deadly techniques, because if things went back to normal...well that would be a problem for the lot of them.

There was no response to his question, which only received an irritated sigh and a disapproving shake of the head. Most of the members of both teams were off on their own, enjoying the break offered by the cease-fire before the next onslaught of robots, and of course ignoring everything and anything work related. In fact, he assumed most were catching up on lost sleep.

Scout could've been hiding from him, which wouldn't be a surprise, but there was just something off about the young Bostonians sudden disappearance. He had just been speaking to him a few moments before, and suddenly he had vanished rather out of thin air. He blew out a long drawn out breath, and spun on his heel back into the infirmary.

* * *

The blade was being dug deep into the back of his neck.

His screams were practically piercing the audio receptors those of the standing by Medicbot's ready to perform the procedure on the poor unsuspecting BLU Scout. But Gray Mann didn't care. The Scout was the perfect subject for his plan. He had created a type of microchip rigged with a high powered explosive that mimicked a very small atomic bomb, that would insert into his spinal cord and nervous system, which would potentially allow him to control the boy, and finally when no one was expecting it, he could blow Mann Works sky high with all of the mercenaries inside, and destroy their respawn machine along with it. The explosives were small, but looks could be extremely deceiving.

And finally, that wretched Mann Co. would finally be out of the picture. And he will have destroyed every last thing his imbecile brothers worked for, and rid of the story they left behind. Oh it was the perfect plan. Using one of their own, the one they would least suspect as a Spy, and finally murder them all. Then he would move onto Saxton Hale and anyone else who once worked with his brothers and finally the world would be rid of the Mann Co. brothers and TF industries.

"Oh Scout hush. It'll be over soon." He growled and gingerly rubbed his temples. "Shut him up." Immediately one of the Medicbots clasped a bionic hand over the Scout's strained open mouth, only resulting in a loud muffled moan. He leaned in close to the inklings head and flicked a tear away from his cheek with a nimble finger and let a small, playful smirk play across his expression.

"Do not worry. When this is over you won't feel a thing. In fact, you won't even remember that you were here at all."


	2. Demonstration

Chapter 2: Demonstration

He awoke with a start.

The scent of moist earth filled his nostrils and a warm breeze passed over his damp back. He lifted his stiff neck from the ground to find that he was lying face down in a patch of grass below the drop off where the robots were stationed.

There was a large coin sized knot on the top of his head with a bit of blood oozing from a small nick in the center. And beside him laid the culprit if his injury. A large rock with rough, pointed edges rested in the small patch of grass beside him, and one of the edges was stained a dark reddish brown with dried blood.

With a grunt he hoisted himself onto his feet and gingerly rubbed his stiff neck, and felt the knob on his head. It was hard to believe a rock could have knocked him unconscious. Simply because he had been hit over the head with a bat and suffered many other, much worse blunt injuries and never once lost consciousness because of them. Not that he could remember anyway.

With a confused, rather apathetic shrug, he turned away from the sight and headed back off to the base.

* * *

"Oh this is wonderful."

The statement was the only praise the robots received regarding their success of Gray Mann's launch of his marvelous plan. But the robots couldn't feel. He hadn't programmed them to feel, so praise meant nothing to their soulless, lifeless forms. One might potentially become smart enough to observe humans and possibly develop a type of personality, but one generally didn't stay functioning for that long. But that was okay, they were just machines. And they were built to destroy, not become humans, or friends.

His plan was slowly starting to fall into exact order. At this time he could control the Scout at any time without the mercenary even being aware that it wasn't his own movements. He had literally taken away the Scout's one utmost important human right, the freedom of free will. He could see what the Scout was seeing, and hear everything he could. He was actually pleasantly surprised that the plan had worked.

* * *

"I dunno Doc', like I said, I woke up on the floor outsider, don't remember nothin' 'bout how." Medic took a moment to think about the Scout's claim and decipher what he had said through his horrible grammar. For someone who had been raised speaking English, the young mercenary seemed to just absolutely butcher his mother tongue merely beyond comprehension. And for someone who spoke English as a second language, such as the German physician, deciphering the slang proved to be quite difficult.

"Vell...you may have a concussion Scout. Let's be more careful around falling rubble now shall we?" Medic mumbled and began to wrap clean white gauze around the Scout's rather small head.

"You should stay avay from zhe cliff. Zhe robots are stationed up zhere, and it can be dangerous."

"Yeah yeah I know, thanks Ma." Scout muttered sarcastically and swatted at the Medic's hand.

"I don't need that crap. Just gimme a band-aid and some headache stuff."

"Scout you have a bump on zhe top of your head the size of an apfel now stay still frau...bitte?"

"Who gives a crap. It's nothin'." Scout murmured and shoved himself off of the lab table and headed for the door,

"If anythin' happens, just kill me. We got respawn."

* * *

"Not for long you fool." Gray Mann snarled and rubbed his pounding temples. "These morons abuse that ridiculous machine." He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut and ran his fingers through his fine white hair.

"Master, why not detonate the device now?" One of his personal Medicbots chirped up from behind him.

"In due time...in due time." He muttered, "These imbecile morons abuse that pathetic respawn machine...but soon they will know true death." He growled, "I want to get rid of everything my idiot brothers worked for...but in due time, there's a time and place for everything." He let a small smile of sadistic glee spread across his face, and he twirled his bolisong around his fingers at the memory of his brother's blood running down his hands and through his fingers. Oh how he loved bloodshed.

The monitors stationed around the room displayed the surveillance cameras scattered around Mann Works. The same cameras the administrator sat behind. But they were easy enough to hack into, and now he could see the where abouts of everyone on the base. One monitor revealed what Scout was seeing, with speakers set aside so Gray could hear everything Scout did.

Scout was both acting on free will, and the remote control Gray held in his hand. It allowed him to control the inkling through his nervous system which made the young mercenary think that all of his actions were of his own sounds and conscious thought. However, Grey could have complete control if he wanted, and Scout wouldn't even know. Then when the time was right, he would blow the entire base off of the face of the planet along with all of the mercenaries.

Needless to say, this plan was formulated because he was simply running out of options. The plans of sending robot carriers and tanks into the base to blow it up was failing miserably and he hated to admit that he was losing, but this plan was really a plan B since his plan A had ultimately failed.

"But now is a perfect time for a little demonstration of my control..."

* * *

Scout fell flat onto his stomach in the center of the hallway leading out into the commons room of the base. He didn't know what he had tripped over or if he had just lost his balance due to the spinning in his head, but one moment he was walking and the next he was on the floor. He quickly lurched back onto his feet and checked around to make sure no one had seen his dramatic fall before quickly strolling into the commons room as nonchalantly as possible, like he hadn't just face planted in the hall.

"How's it hangin' fellas?" He called to the mixture of REDs and BLUs sitting around a small round table, with old worn cards in each of their hands. In the middle of the table rested various, random items. Such as a lighter, one of Demoman's bombs, a missile, and other random things.

"We're playin' Texas hold 'em. Ya' wanna join? Oh wait…ya' ain't old enough are ya' son?" The RED Engineer called from the table, resulting in a howl of laughter from the surrounding mercenaries. Faster than Scout could even comprehend, he was standing at the Engineer's side, and sent his fist straight into the Texan's jaw. For a brief moment, the Engineer wavered in his seat, before dropping his cards and falling out of his chair onto the glossy tiled floor.

Immediately, everyone sitting around the table was on their feet. Some simply stared in confusion while others rushed to the Engineer's side for assistance. Scout took this opportunity to give a slight nod of self-approval before spinning on his heel and quickly walked out of the room, his reasoning for going in there in the first place forgotten.

* * *

Gray Mann was pleased that his controls proved to be functioning by Scout's actions. It was really a glorious sight of seeing Scout sending his fist into the Texan's jowl. And the confused expressions all of the mercenaries gave Scout was just the icing on the cake. Oh how he wished he could see the contours of those mindless drones twisted into expressions of agony.

"In due time." He muttered quietly to himself and tapped his fingertips against his chin.

"In due time."


End file.
